Mother of man killed by Atlanta cop outside bar seeking justice
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An Atlanta police vehicle as seen on June 27. Photo: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images
The mother of a man who was shot to death by an off-duty Atlanta Police Department officer is demanding answers surrounding the circumstances of her son's killing.
Driving the news: Valerie Anderson made her latest appeal Monday at the Atlanta City Council meeting, two months after officer Melvin Potter fatally shot 38-year-old Devon Anderson.
What they're saying: "It has been two months since I've heard anything…about my son's murder, and I am here today to talk about how I and my family have been feeling, how distraught I am as a mother," she said.
- "You may not know my son or don't care to know my son, but my son is a human being, [a] well-loved human being, and a decent young man."
- Anderson appeared at last month's City Council meeting, demanding that Potter be fired from the Atlanta Police Department.
State of play: APD said Potter, who was hired in January 2015, has been "relieved of duty," meaning he can't report to work and that his department-issued gun, ID and badges were returned to the agency.
- The department says he still has to make himself available during business hours if "called upon," specifically by the Office of Professional Standards.
- The shooting, which happened in South Fulton, and not under APD's jurisdiction, is under GBI investigation at the request of the South Fulton Police Department.
Catch up quick: South Fulton police responded to the shooting around 1am Aug. 5 outside a bar in the 5400 block of Old National Highway.
- According to the GBI, Potter was leaving the bar and walking someone to their car when he got into an argument with a group of people.
- WSB reports Anderson, who was attending a birthday celebration of a friend who's a South Fulton police officer, was fatally shot by Potter while "trying to diffuse the situation."
- The GBI said Potter was charged with obstruction by South Fulton police for refusing a blood draw, but so far he's not facing any other charges.
The intrigue: This wasn't Potter's first time at the center of a police investigation.
- In 2021, he was arrested for driving under the influence after a Coweta County sheriff's deputy pulled him over on I-85, according to 11 Alive.
- He was sentenced to probation and prohibited from drinking alcohol in 2022.
What's next: Once the GBI wraps up its investigation, it will turn over the case file to the Fulton County district attorney.